In a new post, Mary Carroll Moore says that a strong emotional core can help you write “tough” material at either end of the spectrum – emotionally heavy or dryly technical. “How to package such material in a way that pulls a reader in and keeps the writing from constant trauma requires skill,” she says.
If the difficult material is wrapped in an emotional container, you’ll find it easier to write and “sell” to the reader. “Well-crafted container delivers more emotion than plot, characters, topic, structure, or all of these combined,” Moore writes. “Container is what makes us feel the gut punch of a story’s meaning.” Without it, your story is just a series of events.
Moore examines a scene from Never Let Me Down, Susan Miller’s memoir of growing up with her jazz musician and heroin addict father. “Heroin addiction is not on my list of fun things to read about,” Moore says. “But I was totally engrossed in her story because of her expert use of container.” In the example scene, Moore uses the physical setting, sensory language, physical sensations, and syntax to pull the reader into the scene.
Moore suggests choosing a scene from one of your works in progress and inserting one or more of these container tools. “This takes letting go of your preferences as a writer and being willing to see your work from the reader’s view,” Moore says. “Not always easy.”
